The good news is that we have raised over €3,500 euros. Some readers donated money directly, which has helped to purchase milk, nappies and baby hygiene products, but others have directly supplied the aforementioned baby products, plus clothes, bedding, beds and toys. You have all been so generous and we wanted you to know that your assistance will bring a lot of smiles to adults and children in need. And a big thanks to the editorial and staff at The Portugal News who have sponsored these pages, without your help this campaign would never have got off the ground.

Over the next few months the focus in terms of fund raising is helping to feed families, many of whom have lost their jobs due to the Covid crisis. What really helps families out is the supply of basic dried goods such as rice, pasta, noodles, and other ingredients to make a simple meal, e.g. tins of sardines, tuna, sausages, tomatoes, vegetables, sauces for pasta and casseroles, beans, soups etc. Food banks are a big help of course but demand is sometimes greater than supply. We wanted to make this campaign more engaging and so we are hosting a series of events where payment will be a shopping bag full of the aforementioned items. One event is to learn how to create a table decoration for the table using greenery and flowers. This will take place at Wonderland Tea Room, a traditional English tea shop in the heart of Ferragudo. And the second event will be to learn the energy healing powers of Reiki. After three hours of training you will be able to provide healing for yourself and your friends and family. Further details of both events can be found in the posters below.

More fund raising events are planned as the country begins to open up after the lockdown, including a cabaret event, possibly to take place around the period of September/October. But even if you are not able to attend an event we can still organise the collection of your filled shopping bags, so please get in touch if this is the case.

If someone is feeling particularly generous we are looking for people to become a sponsor of one of five bikes. The idea behind this is to provide transport for low income individuals who live at a distance from regular bus routes and will be able to get to and from their work place or the shops more easily by bicycle.

You can follow the work that we are doing at Castelo de Sonhos by joining Friends of Castelo on Facebook. Our aim on Facebook is to keep you up to date on events and on the success of each campaign. We look forward to seeing you all at a future event.

Contact details: for the collection of shopping, Sue on 933 374 865 or Paul on 910 665 601, and for the events, Paul on 910 665 601.

To Donate

For more information contact Sue at Castelo de Sonhos on 933 374 865, or via email at sueloram@gmail.com

For donatations, here are the bank details for payment: IBAN: PT50 0045 7130 4020 9663 6392 9.

A big thank you in advance from everyone at Castelo de Sonhos.
Castelo de Sonhos, IPSS no. 3000062892